I saw the Grey Gardens documentary in my Plays and Playwrights class some semesters ago, and was just blown away by it. When I heard there was going to be a movie remake of the film and musical made about it, I was not to pleased to hear it to say the least. I know it's silly of me, but for some reason, I got sort of angry that they were going to do this.
Now, I've actually seen the Drama Desk performance by Ms. Ebersole, and was really impressed. She got Little Edie down so well, and the song she sang "Revolution" is not an easy song to pull off, and yet I was drawn in and found myself laughing at the lines. I can totally see why she'd be the front-runner. However, I am only judging one performance, so I don't really know how she is in sustaining it it throughout the whole show.
I only found out about Kristin Chenoweth starring in the Apple Tree a few hours ago, and I'm just so glad that she's going to be back in Broadway in a real leading role that will ask her to do something beyond her usual roles that I just hope she'll be nominated just so I can have a performance of Chenoweth doing the Apple Tree on tape. I loved Barbara Harris's rendition of "Movie Star" and though I don't expect Chenoweth to do a recreation of Harris, I hope Chenoweth is able to give a performance that would be worthy of the Harris.
"I've got to get me out of here
This place is full of dirty old men
And the navigators and their mappy maps
And moldy heads and pissing on sugar cubes
While you stare at your books."